Deadly attack on U.S. forces in Jordan part of evolving Iranian tactics

Amman, Jordan — When an Iranian missile hits its intended target, it's because U.S. air defenses either failed to intercept it, or failed to even see it coming in the first place.

"One leaked through," is how Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Iranian attack on an air base in Jordan that killed two U.S. soldiers and left one missing in action on Friday. "A missile got through. We shot down almost all the missiles. One leaked through … it's heartbreaking."

When that happens more than once, which it has over the past week in Jordan, that's not a "leaker." That's a problem for the U.S.

The same base, the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, had been hit twice in a 48-hour period prior to the deadly strike on Friday. Direct hits. As CBS News reported Monday, dozens of U.S. military personnel were wounded.

Iranian, precision-guided munitions somehow managed to evade Jordanian and U.S. missile defense systems to reach their targets. Twice. And the attacks continue — more Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted by Jordanian forces on Tuesday.

President Trump, speaking Tuesday at the White House, indicated that there were "other operators" at the base in Jordan that "let something through."

"They [Iran] did slip something through in Jordan, and we had other operators," Mr. Trump said.

"We have the best equipment in the world, you know, we've stopped almost everything," the president said. "But, when you let other people do your job with the United States, we let other people do the job, and sometimes it doesn't work out so well."

Mr. Trump did not provide any further information about what "other operators" he was referring to or what role they had in protecting U.S. forces in Jordan.

The Pentagon acknowledged Monday, after CBS News obtained the figures, that nearly 100 American service members have been injured in multiple Iranian strikes on bases across the Middle East this month alone. That doesn't include the recent round of attacks that killed at least two U.S. soldiers and wounded dozens in Jordan.

One veteran regional military analyst told CBS News that part of the reason for the rising American toll is that Tehran has upped its game.

"The Iranians have advanced missile technology," said Jordanian Lt. Gen. Qasid Mahmoud, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff for his country's armed forces before he retired. "They're developing techniques and capacities to extend their reach, combining with drones to overwhelm radar defenses."

"The Iranians use simple missiles to distract the radar," Mahmoud, who has studied Iran's military capabilities for ye